ABSTRACT
In the bitter cold of winter, in a small village during a howling gale and with darkness falling, a peasant is wandering home to his meagre village. Suddenly he stops as he sees a small game bird on the ground, nearly dead from cold and privation. The peasant picks up the bird and warms it. The bird soon recovers and the peasant wonders what to do next. At that moment a herd of cattle come by and one of them drops a large dollop right in front of him. Realising that if he puts the bird in the steaming cow’s dollop, the bird will stay warm until morning and then be able to fly away, he does this and then goes home. But a second peasant comes along after the first one has gone and hears the bird chirping happily to itself in the steaming mess. This peasant seizes the bird, breaks its neck and takes it home for supper.
